More info on Fernley

I’m probably going to stop writing about the flood in Fernley here pretty soon - there’s not a whole lot more to write about at this point. That said, all stories need a conclusion, and it looks like we’re just about there.

First, some good news for those in Fernley - Bush approved federal aid. Meanwhile, Fernley and her neighbors continue to do a stand up job in the rebuilding effort. The best part of this story is that, in the end, the federal government is providing the dessert in the rebuilding process, not the meat. That said, it’s not all positive - renters are hurting due to a lack of flood coverage and FEMA funds being primarily earmarked for homeowners. As a renter myself, I’m definitely sympathetic. If my apartment were to get flooded, I’d lose a lot. I can also understand not buying renter’s insurance, much less adding flood coverage on top of it; most people don’t rent because they’re financially secure, after all.

Meanwhile, courtesy of the RGJ and a little help from Google Maps, here’s a map of the flood damage:

View Larger Map

More Fernley Flood Coverage

I can’t argue with my hit count - the Fernley Flood is a popular search, so the least I can do is keep the information flow going. In that vein…

How is it that, every time the federal government gets involved in something, it finds a new and creative way to screw it up? Take the aftermath of the flood, for example. FEMA isn’t sure if they’ll provide aid or not. Meanwhile, somebody owned that levee, and that somebody was the Bureau of Land Management. Of course, in a classic case of bureaucratic chicanery, it’s not the BLM that manages the levee - it’s the Truckee Carson Irrigation District. This, of course, raises the fascinating question of how one maintains a mound of dirt in the first place.

It’s not all bad, though. Where the federal government is doing yet another bang-up job of finding new and creative ways to fail, local and volunteer agencies continue to do an outstanding job of picking up the pieces of people’s lives and helping the victims carry on. If you want to help, feel free to do so - some instructions can be found here. Alternatively, if you’re one of those walking back into your flooded home, you can find some tips here.

As for flood insurance in Nevada, and how that might seem somewhat oxymoronic, be sure to consider the geography of the land you live in. For those of you that haven’t looked at a topo map of the area, Nevada is made up of numerous small valleys. Most of them don’t have any drainage outside of the valleys, which means that, when appreciable precipitation does arrive (and it does, just not yearly), there’s only one place for it to go - the low point of that valley. Even in the parts of Nevada that do have drainage, such as those within the Truckee, Carson, or Humboldt River watersheds, Nevada’s drainage is limited by the nature of the Great Basin, which covers most of the state. Meanwhile, as if being in a giant bowl wasn’t enough, since Nevada’s a desert, the soil is very, very hard, and doesn’t absorb water well. So, let’s recap:

1. No drainage.
2. Even when there is drainage, it drains into an area that has no drainage.
3. Water isn’t absorbed by anything.

When you combine those ingredients with a non-trivial amount of water, the result is going to be… well… this:

And this:

And yes, even this:

Thing is, Nevada isn’t unique. Arizona floods, too. California, meanwhile, is borderline compulsive about getting everything worse than Nevada - floods, fires, earthquakes, you name it. I think it’s just a sad cry for attention, personally.

Fernley - An Update

Checked my SiteMeter today - it turns out that a lot of people are visiting here to find out information on the flood in Fernley and on Reno’s weather in general. So, let’s get to it:

Firstly, parts of Fernley are still a mess. With that in mind, for obvious reasons, Fernley would prefer it if people didn’t turn the flood zone into a tourist trap. They still need to clean up the damage, and having people aimlessly stumble around there isn’t going to help things. The damage looks pretty bad - preliminary estimates figure 290 homes were damaged, and up to 1,500 people were displaced from the flood. For whatever it’s worth, it appears that similar flooding could happen in Reno and Sparks due to our “levee system” being somewhat improvised. When you live in a desert environment, proper runoff handling is frequently one of the last things you think about until it’s too late. Heck, sometimes it takes a couple of tries.

On a slightly more local note, you can get the listing of school closures and delays here:

School Closures and Delays for Monday

Posted: Jan 6, 2008 03:13 PM
Kellene Stockwell
Channel 2 News

The following schools will be closed for Monday, January 7:

* Lake Tahoe Unified School District
* Tahoe-Trucke Unified School District
* All Five Fernley Schools

The following schools will have a two hour delayed start for Monday, January 7:

* All Washoe County Schools except for Gerlach and Incline Schools (Regular Schedule)
* Bishop Manogue Catholic High School
* St. John’s Childrens Center
* Childrens Center at High Desert
* Summit Ridge Christian School
* All Virginia City Schools except for Hillside Elementary (Regular Schedule)
* Our Lady of the Snows
* Long Valley Charter School
* Pyramid Lake High School
* Excel Christian School
* Lion and Lamb Christian School
* Little Flower School
* Milan Institute of Sparks
* Pebbles Preschool in Sparks

On another note, if you wish to support the cause of the Fernley flood victims, you can do it by supporting the Northern Nevada Red Cross. You can find more information here, including who to contact if you require support.

Nevada has levees?

That, I’m sure, is the question that crossed a lot of people’s minds when they turned on their morning news and saw this (ABC News):

Levee Breaks As Storms Pummel West Coast
Nev. Levee Breaks As Storms Pummel West Coast; Hundreds of Thousands Without Power

A ruptured levee sent a frigid “wall of water” from a rain-swollen canal into this high desert town early Saturday, flooding hundreds of homes and forcing the rescue of more than a dozen people by helicopter and boat.

To answer that question: Yes, Nevada has levees. In fact, there’s a fair amount of agriculture that goes on here, supported by some irrigation that, yes, is handled through the use of levees. This was a result of the Newlands Reclamation Act, which Fernley and neighboring Fallon are both heavy beneficiaries of.

Back to the story - a levee breaks. Homes get flooded. This sounds vaguely familiar, right? Surely the rescue work was botched, people started dying, and Bush looked like a tool, right?

Nope.

As the aforementioned ABC story notes,

No injuries were reported in the flood in Fernley, about 30 miles east of Reno, after a section of the Truckee Canal up to 150 feet long broke soon after 4 a.m. As many as 3,500 people were temporarily stranded and more than 100 had gathered Saturday afternoon at a shelter set up at a high school.

That’s right - nobody died. In fact, nobody was injured. So, naturally, the people of Fernley and Northern Nevada waited for FEMA to show up and rescue them, right?

Nope (KTVN). In fact, within a few hours, the neighborhoods were evacuated, the neighboring air station sent a helicopter, the National Weather Service issued a warning, the water was diverted, the levee was quickly rebuilt… the list goes on. Reno and Sparks both sent assistance to Fernley in the form of supplies and manpower. Best of all, this was all done and put into motion long before the politicos began issuing their statements.

Speaking of which, some statements from “notable” political types:

Sen. Hillary Clinton:

“I am deeply concerned and saddened about the reports of severe flooding in Fernley, Nevada this morning as a result of a levee breaking along the Truckee Canal. I am especially concerned given the freezing temperatures and severe snow storm conditions prevailing in the area.

As emergency crews begin their work to evacuate the 3,500 residents who have been displaced from their homes, my thoughts and prayers are with the entire community.”

Sen. Obama:

Today, Senator Barack Obama released the following statement on the Fernley levee break.

“Early this Saturday morning, a 30-foot section of the Truckee Canal levee broke, sending waves of water into the town of Fernley and trapping nearly 4,000 people in their homes. Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to the victims of this sudden disaster, and we honor the swift and heroic response from rescue organizations, including the Fallon Naval Air Station. I have asked my staff and supporters in the area to take time out from campaigning this weekend to assist in the relief efforts.”

Donation of blankets and clothing can be dropped off at the Reno Obama for America Headquarters at 141 East Pueblo Street, Suite B.

Sen. Reid, Sen. Ensign, and Congressman Heller:

U.S. Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign, and Representative Dean Heller of Nevada issued the following statements regarding the broken levee in Fernley.

“I spoke with Mayor Cutler today and promised him we would do everything possible to ensure the people of Fernley get the federal resources they need to help the community recover as quickly as possible,” said Reid. “We recognize that long after the flood waters recede there will still be a lot of work to do and my office will work with federal, state and local agencies to ensure that the community returns to pre-flood conditions and that this never happens again. I also extend my deepest gratitude toward all the first responders who are doing a great job getting people out of harm’s way.”

“My thoughts and prayers are with all of the families and communities impacted by this serious emergency. It is my hope that we can continue to move people out of harm’s way and into safety as quickly as possible. The Nevada Congressional Delegation is ready to assist the Governor and the people of Fernley to ensure that we have all the necessary resources to help those in need,” said Senator John Ensign.

“My heartfelt condolences go out to the residents of Fernley who have been affected by this flood. The Nevada delegation stands by the City of Fernley and we’ll do everything we can to help those affected by this disaster and fix the levees,” said Heller.

Meanwhile, the Reno Gazzette-Journal is maintaining a timeline for the Fernley flood. On a slightly more regional note, the RGJ is also maintaining a map of road closures, sandbag locations, and more. Since it’s also hosted on Google Maps, you can also see it here:

View Larger Map

All snarkiness aside, I do realize there’s a big difference in scale between what happened in New Orleans and Fernley. I just find the differences in reactions very interesting.